Tour de France Femmes 2024 (August 12th-18th)

[awavey]

 

[awavey]

Provisional start list

 

[Didinho]

Curious what Pieterse can do here. Does she try for GC or better go for a stage win.

With the signing of PFP for Visma, she said she wanted to go for the Tour GC in the next years as new main objective.

 

[yaco]

Gotta say that the TDF Femmes should have been a week later because some who are involved in the latter stages of the track cycling are forced to miss the race. Finally, Jayco continue their theme of not bring ing their best races to the biggest riders. Can you believe Paternoster has not done a GT in 2024.

 

[yaco]

The 2028 Olympic Games is July 14 to July 28. Whether they have the TDF before or after the Olympic Games will be interesting.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

It'll be interesting to see, if Muzic and others like Bradbury, Markus and Van Anrooij will have an advantage, because they didn't ride at the Olympics.

 

[sam6]

Gotta say that the TDF Femmes should have been a week later because some who are involved in the latter stages of the track cycling are forced to miss the race. Finally, Jayco continue their theme of not bring ing their best races to the biggest riders. Can you believe Paternoster has not done a GT in 2024.

But then it would totally overlap with the men's Vuelta. Having a 2 stage overlap is already bad enough

 

[yaco]

But then it would totally overlap with the men's Vuelta. Having a 2 stage overlap is already bad enough

I have no trouble with that because it happens every year with the Giro Donne. Having it start on the 12th means some quality track riders can not participate in the TDF.

 

[Axel Hangleck]

Curious what Pieterse can do here. Does she try for GC or better go for a stage win.

Isn't it just extra training for the MTB Worlds at the end of the month? I wouldn't expect her to target GC when Yara appears to be the leader.

 

[awavey]

Isn't it just extra training for the MTB Worlds at the end of the month? I wouldn't expect her to target GC when Yara appears to be the leader.

yeah but based on that provisional numbering, that would also mean Gaia is Lidl treks leader, in a team with ELB and Balsamo ??

but it feels like Puck could go for stage wins, I dont think GC is the target.

 

[Cookster15]

Why is the ITT so short? That’s a prologue distance.

A big plus is finishing with Alpe D’Huez should generate good global publicity.

Also disappointed no Pyrenees or Massif Central stages.

But I will still follow with interest. Hopefully better courses in future years when the wider public realise professional women are physically capable of much more.,

 

[ManicJack]

Alpe D'Huez is going to be carnage for more than half of the field.

 

[Davesta]

Why is the ITT so short? That’s a prologue distance.

A big plus is finishing with Alpe D’Huez should generate good global publicity.

Also disappointed no Pyrenees or Massif Central stages.

But I will still follow with interest. Hopefully better courses in future years when the wider public realise professional women are physically capable of much more.,

I assume the TT is short because it’s the second stage of the split-stage day…

I do think the route is a little underwhelming this year, partly because it doesn’t really cover much of France! But I guess the clash with the olympics limited their options a bit…I’m glad to see it expanding to 9 days next year though, and hopefully the progress will continue beyond that…

Stages 4, 5 & 6 should make for some good racing though, and Alpe d’Huez should be a good grandstand finish with some big gaps.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

I assume the TT is short because it’s the second stage of the split-stage day…

I do think the route is a little underwhelming this year, partly because it doesn’t really cover much of France! But I guess the clash with the olympics limited their options a bit…I’m glad to see it expanding to 9 days next year though, and hopefully the progress will continue beyond that…

Stages 4, 5 & 6 should make for some good racing though, and Alpe d’Huez should be a good grandstand finish with some big gaps.

They would still have been able to make it 10 km in length. I wouldn't even have minded a TTT, to be honest. However the best could have done, was to have had a long time trial and then only 7 stages in total.

Why is the ITT so short? That’s a prologue distance.

A big plus is finishing with Alpe D’Huez should generate good global publicity.

Also disappointed no Pyrenees or Massif Central stages.

But I will still follow with interest. Hopefully better courses in future years when the wider public realise professional women are physically capable of much more.,

A prologue can't be longer than 4 km in women's races, for some unknown reason.

As long as the race is only 8 stages, we're probably not gonna see the Alps and the Pyrenees in the same edition, as backloading is likely to continue to be the preferred design. For this edition, I would have liked there to have been a cobbled stage in the first days, but the LBL finish is alright, too.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Why is the ITT so short? That’s a prologue distance.

A big plus is finishing with Alpe D’Huez should generate good global publicity.

Also disappointed no Pyrenees or Massif Central stages.

But I will still follow with interest. Hopefully better courses in future years when the wider public realise professional women are physically capable of much more.,

The Netherlands paying for 3 stages is OK with a 21 stage race, but in an 8 stage race it's ridiculously limiting.

On the plus side, I feared they'd only get as far as the Vosges and give us (shudder) La Planche des Belles Filles again.

 

[RedheadDane]

On the plus side, I feared they'd only get as far as the Vosges and give us (shudder) La Planche des Belles Filles again.

TBF, only the women should be allowed to race on La Planche des Belles Filles.
The men can head over to La Planche des Belles Garcons. Which doesn't exists. And I know the grammer i wrong!

 

[Libertine Seguros]

TBF, only the women should be allowed to race on La Planche des Belles Filles.
The men can head over to La Planche des Belles Garcons. Which doesn't exists. And I know the grammer i wrong!

Actually, you know what, I'll back this campaign.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

The Netherlands paying for 3 stages is OK with a 21 stage race, but in an 8 stage race it's ridiculously limiting.

On the plus side, I feared they'd only get as far as the Vosges and give us (shudder) La Planche des Belles Filles again.

They do have 9 stages planned for next year, but since they're starting in Bretagne, La Planche des Whatever could still end up being the focal point of the race.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

They do have 9 stages planned for next year, but since they're starting in Bretagne, La Planche des Whatever could still end up being the focal point of the race.

Massif Central please, they haven't really done it yet. A useful achievable way would be perhaps a multi-col stage to Super Besse or Puy Mary, and Puy de Dôme as the main mountains, or Col de Béal. Good chance it's just down the west coast to the Pyrenées as well.

 

[awavey]

bear in mind its still baby steps to ensure the race survives for a while yet, we dont want a situation where we chuck aload of intense stages at them and then half the field fails the time cut,

and I know its probably Olympics related, but this years race already feels like its not getting the promotion and attention it needs certainly from the media, or as much buzz about it as previous years.

Ive not seen many ads for coverage, I know Eurosport have it, but Im sure we used to get highlights packages on other channels as well.

but this is like the biggest womens road race on the calendar of the pro tour, and it just feels like oh its just another race

 

[Libertine Seguros]

bear in mind its still baby steps to ensure the race survives for a while yet, we dont want a situation where we chuck aload of intense stages at them and then half the field fails the time cut,

and I know its probably Olympics related, but this years race already feels like its not getting the promotion and attention it needs certainly from the media, or as much buzz about it as previous years.

Ive not seen many ads for coverage, I know Eurosport have it, but Im sure we used to get highlights packages on other channels as well.

but this is like the biggest womens road race on the calendar of the pro tour, and it just feels like oh its just another race

Well, the previous couple of editions were appended directly onto the end of the Tour de France, so they could very much hype it to follow directly on from that, whereas the Olympics are in that slot now so it's hard for them to attract its audience in that manner this year. There's a large semi-casual cycling audience at Le Tour that they can try to latch onto with a "not had enough of your cycling fix? Stay tuned for the women's race" kind of advertising at the tail end of the men's race, which hasn't really been possible here. It's probably going to be even more negatively impacted by a collective audience fatigue in France when it comes to pretty much any sport except maybe football following the Olympic fervour as well.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

ELB won't start the race due to a crash in training

 

[awavey]

ELB won't start the race due to a crash in training

I was just about to ask how come Lizzie D got called up, as she'd gone on holiday post Olympics.

And that would explain it.

 

[awavey]

I believe Ashleigh Moolman Pasio is also a non starter from that provisional starter list, been replaced by Justine Ghekiere

 

[ManicJack]

Stage 2 is only 68k? Followed by a 8 minute long TT on stage 3? Hard to get excited about that.